Asbestos finding at City Health Centre forces multi-day closure | The Canberra Times

A community health center in Canberra will be closed for at least three days after asbestos was found during routine maintenance.

A notice on the Canberra Health Services website said all patient appointments scheduled at the City Health Centre, a multi-storey concrete building on the corner of Moore Street and Alinga Street, have been or will be rescheduled.

A government spokesman said asbestos-containing materials were found in a factory room, positive test results were received on Monday and the plant will be closed until at least Friday while investigations continue.

“The health and safety of residents remains the government’s urgent priority. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the environment is safe,” the spokesman said.

“Decisions regarding reopening the building and providing further information to staff, consumers and visitors will continue to be made in line with expert advice.”

The government said expert consultants recommended the building be closed on Tuesday and remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday.

The building is also home to the MSI Canberra Abortion and Contraception Clinic, BreastScreen ACT, the canTEST pill testing service and the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN). The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal was also formerly located in the building.

Construction of the building, originally for the ACT Health Service started in the 1970s Before self-government, asbestos was still widely used in construction products in Australia.

Australia began implementing asbestos bans in the mid-1980s and in 2003 completely banned the production, use, reuse, import and sale of all forms of asbestos.

A fact sheet published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in 2021 stated that asbestos poses a health risk if the fibers are blown up and inhaled, which can lead to mesothelioma, an otherwise rare cancer.

“People exposed to asbestos in workplaces such as mining, manufacturing or installation are at greater risk than people living in buildings constructed with asbestos products.” CSIRO fact sheet in question.

The government put the Moore Street building up for sale as part of the Commonwealth’s asset recycling program more than a decade ago.

The 2016-2017 ACT budget funded a business case for relocating the City Health Center after its planned sale under an asset recycling scheme that offers states and territories bonuses from the Commonwealth if they sell aging infrastructure and reinvest the proceeds into agreed projects.

But the ACT government retained the building and provided $3.1 million in funding between 2022 and 2024 to renovate office space and expand the Canberra Innovation Network’s footprint.

Premier Andrew Barr told the Legislative Assembly standing committee on economy, industry and recreation in February 2025: “CBRIN’s future expansion at 1 Moore Street is supported subject to future demand for floor space, suitable relocation options for existing tenants and the availability of regeneration funding through normal budget processes.”

The ACT government has closed or partially closed many public schools following the detection of asbestos-contaminated play sand in late 2025.

“Laws on asbestos removal in the ACT are among the strictest in the country,” Education Minister Yvette Berry told the Legislative Assembly in December 2025. “While we understand that the risk of exposure to traces of asbestos in these products is defined as low under ACT occupational health and safety laws, all products containing asbestos must be assessed and removed by licensed asbestos assessors.”